Service is Not Always Seen
Mr. Charles Plumb flew seventy-five combat missions in Vietnam. After his seventy-fifth successful mission off the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk, his plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb, relying on his training, ejected, and parachuted safely only to be captured by the enemy. He spent six grueling years in a communist, Vietnamese prison. Nevertheless, he survived.
Later in life, Mr. Plumb and his wife were eating at a restaurant. During their meal, another diner came over to him at the table and recognized him. “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam off the Kitty Hawk. You were shot down.” Plumb, taken aback but also confused by the stranger asked, “How do you know that?”
“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. The man excitedly shook Plumb’s his hand, adding, “I guess it worked!”
Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”
After the shocking, chance meeting, Plumb had trouble sleeping. He kept thinking about that man. Charles Plumb has said in interviews after the encounter that the incident stayed with him, and he was always perplexed. “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot, and he was just a sailor.”
Mr. Plumb recounts that he then frequently began to think of the man very differently. How many hours the sailor who had packed his parachute must have spent on an uncomfortable long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully folding the silks of each chute. Most of all, Plumb considered that with each fold, that man held in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t know and likely would never meet.
I challenge us, this month, to take a moment and consider if anyone has done something that has helped make your day “better.” Recognize them right away.
Each of us are touched by individuals who provide what we need to make it through the day. Equally important, each of us can make a difference in someone else’s day. Whether it be a peer, a member, or a stranger—and sometimes that difference is made silently—we cannot afford to miss these difference-making opportunities. They are just too important.
As I try to do every chance I get, I would like to thank those who make the lives of our Members better through their partnership with and support of our Section. This month, I want to say a very special thanks to Keith Moskowitz and Kyle Freeman from Under Armour for generously outfitting both teams competing in the 73rd Hudson Cup Matches. Also supporting this year’s event, please join me in thanking John Bond and Ren Weaver from Legendary Headwear for ensuring our teams and their captains look their best while competing in this year’s Hudson Cup. Also joining our family of sponsors, Therabody and their amazing Theragun product line will be joining the Pacific Golf & Turf Pro-Am Championship as a supporting sponsor.
I’d like to remind our Members of two important upcoming events. The annual PNWPGA Merchandise Show. Registration is now soon, as we return in-person to Tacoma Convention Center October 19-20, 2021. I encourage you to register as soon as possible. Also, this year, the section is providing new and exciting reasons to join us in-person. This year, the Section will be raffling—exclusively for Members in attendance— a trip for two to Ireland, including accommodations and amazing golfing. My sincere thanks to Bud Garmany and Garmany Golf for sponsoring the PNW PGA Merchandise Show Ireland trip sweepstakes. Keep your eyes open for specific details and make your plans to attend, and win.
Scheduled around this year’s show are two fantastic education opportunities. “Strategies for Building Meaningful Relationships in Your Career” and “Strategies for a Successful Career in Coaching/Teaching” will both be offered this year. Both seminars include a networking session and snack break.
Lastly, get PGA HOPE certified to work with veterans in a FREE one-day seminar presented by Bob Epperly, PGA. The purpose of the training program is to provide a comfortable first experience for military Veterans and REACH’s military golf program. PGA Professionals attending one of these sessions will be eligible to participate as instructors for these programs. This program is also a great opportunity for PGA Professionals to be trained to teach all people with disabilities at their clubs. Receive 6 MSR Credits (Required Category) for attending.
As always, if I or our amazing Section staff may ever be of service to you, please contact us.
Frank Talarico, CEO